Our spay/neuter vouchers cannot be used on cats that will be declawed.  For information on how to clip claws to keep them blunt and how to provide good scratching alternatives for your cats, visit our web site and click on Cat Information Handouts.

Want a pet cat.  Consider home-fostering.
For many people, a 20-year commitment to a new pet cat is unrealistic.  You may be a college student unsure of where you'll be living after graduation, or a baby-boomer nearing retirement and wanting to travel extensively when you do.  There are many reasons a lifelong commitment is not in the cards -- but, don't think that rules you out as a cat companion.

Most cat rescues, shelters and veterinary clinics find themselves with the need for temporary housing of cats they will adopt out.  Generally they will cover the cost of any medical treatments and supplies if you are willing to provide temporary housing and care for their charges.  This gives the cats a much better quality of life than they can receive in a cage while they wait for someone to give them a permanent home.  You benefit by having all the enjoyment of a cat without the stress of what will happen when you move on.

Foster volunteering can also be a good way for you to find out if you like cat care well enough to make a 20-year commitment to one of your own -- and while you're fostering, you just may find the cat of your dreams and adopt him/her yourself!

Dear Friends,

It's unusual to find a county being as generous as Washtenaw -- voting to finance a brand new deluxe facility for HSHV.  Historically they have never shown an active interest in their state-mandated animal control responsibilities -- euthanasia of stray animals, cruelty investigations, lost-pet holding -- opting instead to pay HSHV to perform them.  They've partnered for many decades and today a county executive serves as HSHV president.

No question a new county shelter is long overdue and, since it's being funded through tax dollars and county bonds, it's sad that the decision didn't begin with a community dialogue on how we could best serve our companion animals.  Once this shelter is built, Washtenaw County is locked into an animal control model for many years to come.  This bucks the national trend to develop animal welfare models.  If we had chosen that route, the county would have taken their million dollar gift and used it to build a functional animal control shelter and HSHV would have taken its private contributions to build a true animal welfare facility in which they could devote full time and full resources to their humane roots -- being a voice for companion animals, protecting them and advocating for them -- through pro-active adoptions, education, and veterinary assistance for the disadvantaged.

Will this new animal control facility reduce our euthanasia rate?  Unlikely.  Increased adoptions do not come from increased shelter size but from increased cage turnover -- and this is achieved by bringing cats and dogs into the community, not amassing more in one location.  Lowering euthanasia rates can only come from developing an inclusive network -- of all companion-animal-related parties -- working together to increase adoptions while decreasing overall populations.  Putting all our community resources for both animal welfare and control in one organization in one location is counter-intuitive to that goal!

 
Kitty Zimmer